Animated figure



Mar. 6, 1923. 1,447,926

-M.-B. CONWAY ANIMATED FIGURE Filed Apr. 50, 19 21 2 sheets-sheet -1 INVENTOR (Pony/a A TTORNEVS Mar. 6, 1923. 1,447,926

M. B. CONWAY ANIMATED FIGURE Filed Apr. 50, 1921 2' sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Mar. 6, 1923.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAGGIE BaowN CONWAY, or DANVILLE, VIRGINIA.

ANIMATED FIGURE.

Application filed April 30, 1921. Serial No. 465,761.

inal and unusual movements andactions to' attract attention and amuse observers whereby it may be used either as a toy or as an advertising device.

Another object is to provide a device of this character which is of simple and durable construction, reliable in operation and easg and inexpensive to manufacture.-

ther objects and advantages of the invention reside in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, andin'which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view, illustrating an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view; thereof Figure 3 is a view in transverse vertical section;

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of theeyes and their shaft;

Figure 5 is a detail view in transverse section on line 5Q5 of Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is a view in front elevation of a slightly modified form of the invention.

Referring to the drawings wherein for thesake ofillustration is shown the preferred embodiments of the invention and especially to Figures 1 to 5, the numeral 5 designates a base from which a standard 6 rises.

' An animated figure designated generally at 10 is carried'by the standard and includes.

a body portion 11 having its front painted or otherwise adapted to simulate the clothed.

body of a figure and having a cavity 12 opening to its rear face. A head 13 is carried by the body, preferably integral therewith. The head is provided with eyesock- 4 ets 1 1 and a transverse opening 15 formed to simulate a mouth. A cavity is formed in y the head member and communicates with the .with the body.

cavity of the body member and like the latter opens to the rear face of the head. A rock shaft-17 is 'journaled in suitable bearings provided therefor in the head and extends transversely across the head at the rear of the eye sockets. Eyes 18 and 19 are fixed to the shaft and arranged in the eye sockets. The eyes 18 and 19 which are generally of globular form have two or more offset pupils designated at 18* and 18 and 19 and 19. formed thereon whereby when the shaft 17 is oscillated these pupils alternately traverse the opening of the eye sockets to give the appearance of rolling the eyes.

A tongue 20 is slidably received in the mouth opening 15. Means is provided for impartin motion to the tongue from the rock shaft and includes an arm 21 carried by the rock shaft and a flexible connection 22 between the arm and the tongue, the flexible connection 22 consisting of one or more links pivotally connected atone end to the arm andat the other end to the tongue. The

tongue 20 is thus moved back and forth so as to be successively stuck outand withdrawn "from the mouth of the figure. This action together with the rolling of the eyes gives the figure a mischievous and strikingly animated expression.

Arms 24 are rigid with the body and preferably are extended and formed integrally The arms and alined portions of the body are slotted, as at 25, to form a journal for a .rotatable shaft 26 arranged in the slotted portion and confined therein by plugs or wedges '27, as clearly shown in Figure 5. The shaft 26, extends across the cavity 12 of the body and in a portion thereof which lies in the cavity a crank 28 is formed for a purpose which will hereinafter more fully appear. projects beyondthe'extremities of the arms and on these projecting ends hands 29 are carried, and are rotatable with the shaft.

The hands howeverlie closely adjacentthe extremities of the arms and in partaking of the motion of the shaft-they appear to be articulated on the'arms, The hands carry suitable objects, and in this embodiment they preferably carry dumb-bells designated The shaft f'vide'd with slots 33 to accommodate the at their ends to the rear of the eyes, as

indicated at 42* and 43, respectively. Flexible connections 45 are connected at one end, as at to, to the rod 35 and are connected at their opposite ends, as at 47, to the legs As the rod 35 is moved up and down as it readily may be by grasping it with the fingers it rotates the shaft 26 through its connection with the crank 28 thereof and in rotating the shaft 26 it turns the hands and the objects which they carry, dumb-bells in this embodiment. Through the yoke 39 it imparts an oscillating movement to the eyes 18 and 19 and to the shaft 17 which carries them and this movement of the shaft 17 is in turn imparted to the tongue 20. At the same time the flexible connections 4.5 move the legs up anddown on their pivots and the legs themselves being articulated partake of the dancing or rhythmic move-- ment, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. These combined movements and actions give to "the figure a striking semblance of life and animation and powerfully attract the attention of the observer.

In the form of the invention shown in F'gure 6, the animated figure'is shown at 50 and is constructed strictly in accordance with the figure hereinabove described, the figure being carried as before on a standard here designated at 51 which uprises from a base 52 setting on the floor or the like designated at 53. In this form of the invention however the rod 35 instead of terminating in an eye at its lower end is extended downwardly, as shown and is pivotally connected to one end of a pitman 54 driven from a crank disk 55 which is actuated from an electric motor or the like 56 by means of bevel gearing or the like. The hands instead. of carrying dumb-bells carry advertising display designated at 58, which-moveswith them. A stationary panel 60 is also carried by the head of the figure. In this form of the invention the animated figure operates in precisely the same manner as hereinabove-described except that the rod 35 instead of being actuated by the hands or fingers of the operator is actuated from the electric motor 56 by ,means of gearing 57,

' crank disk 55, and pitman 54 and that instead of the dumb bells being rotated to give the appearance of participation in calisthenics the advertising matter is rotated to catch th eye of the observer.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, an animated figure comprising a body, a head having eye sockets and an opening simulating a mouth, a rock shaft extending transversely in the rear of the eye sockets, eyes carried by the shaft and received in said sockets, a tongue received in the mouth opening, means for transmitting motion to the tongue from the shaft, extended arms fixed to the body portion, a rotatable shaft journaled in said arms and having a crank intermediate said arms, handscarried by the ends of said shaft and rotatable therewith, articulated legs pivotally carried by said body portion, a movable rod having a connection with said crank, a yoke pivotally connected to said rods and having arms pivotally connected with said eyes and flexible connections between the rod and the legs.

2. In a device of the character described, an animated figure comprising a body, a head having eye sockets and an opening simulating a mouth, a rock shaft, eyes carried by the rock shaft and received in the sockets,

a tongue received in the mouth opening,

means transmitting motion to the tongue from the rock shaft, arms fixed to the body portion, and .a rotatable shaft having a crank, hands at the ends of said arms and carried by said rotatable shaft, articulated legs carried by the body, a movable rod having a connection to said crank, means connecting the rod to the eyes and flexible conmeans for operating said legs from said rod.

4. In a device of the character described, an animated figure comprising a body, a

head having eye sockets and an opening simulatinga mouth, eyes received in said sockets, a tongue received in the mouth opening, arms fixed to the body portion, a shaft journaled in said arms, hands carried by the ends of said shaft and rotatable therewith, and o crating mechanism including a movable r common means for transmitting the inotion of said rod tosaid eyes and said tongue, and means for transmitting motion from said rod to said rotatable shaft.

5. In a deviceof the character described,

rotating said hands.

'openin slidably mounted in the mouth opening,

means for transmitting motion from said rock shaft to said tongue, and means for operating said e es and said rock shaft.

6. In a device of the character described an animated figure including a body, rigid arms extended from said body, a rotary shaft journaled in said arms and projecting from the extremities thereof, hands carried by the projecting end of said shaft, a slidable rod, and means connecting said shaft and rod for transmitting the motion of the rod to the shaft.

7. In a device of the character described, an animated figure including a body, arms extending therefrom, rotatable hands, objects carried in said hands,and means for 8. In a'device of the character described, an animated figureincluding rolling eyes, a reciprocating tongue and movable hands, and means operably connecting said eyes, tongue and hands to cause them to act simultaneously.

9. In a device of the character described, an animated figure including a body, a head,

rolling eyes arranged in said head, a movable tongue carried by said head, rotatable hands connected with the body and articulated legs connected with the body, and means operably connectin said eyes, tongue, hands and legs to cause t em to act simultaneously.

10. In a device of'the character described,

an animated figure including a head having eye sockets, oscillatory eyes received 111 said sockets, means for simultaneously oscillat- 7 ing said eyes, each of said eyes having a pair of pupils thereon, the pupils of each pair so positioned on each eye and relatively to each other as .to give the effect of rol ing the eyes, when so oscillated.

11. In a device of the character described,

an animated figure including ahead havin eyesockets, curved oscillatory eyes receive in said e e sockets, each eye having a pair of laterafly oflt'set pupils, and means for simultaneously oscillating said eyes whereby said ofi'set pupils are presented to the opening of said eye sockets to give the effect of rollin the eyes. I

12. n a device of the character described, an animated figure including oscillatory eyes and a reciprocating tongue, means for oscillating said eyes, andvv flexible means operatively connecting said eyes and tongue, whereby to cause them to act simultaneously.

MAGGIE BROWN CONWAY. 

